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Takeshi Kitano's DOLLS salutes the beauty of Bunraku with an excerpt from
a performance at Tokyo's National Theater. The play performed is Monzaemon
Chikamatsu's story of doomed lovers, "Meido No Hikyaku" ("The Courier for
Hell").
The sophisticated puppet performances of Bunraku make it one of the three
major classical theaters of Japan, along with Kabuki and Noh. The intense
dramatic art of Bunraku lies in achieving perfect synchronization of three
elements -- puppets, narration and music -- for an operatic effect.
Each doll is operated jointly by three men. (Dolls, usually around one
meter in height and anywhere from 5-20 kilograms in weight, are made of
wood.) Precision timing among the three puppeteers is necessary to achieve
each doll's lifelike motion. Detailed rules must be followed; no puppeteer
is allowed to act on his own. The puppeteers appear on stage in full view of
the audience. The main puppeteer generally appears bare-faced, while the
others are "invisible" in black hoods, signifying that the doll is the main
performer.
Seated to the right of the stage on an elevated platform, the narrator
(tayu) recites the epic poetic text (joruri). Not only does he provide
commentary on the storyline, but he is also the voice of all the dolls
--men, women and children. Musical punctuation and atmosphere for the drama
is supplied by the player of the shamisen, an ancient three-stringed
instrument.
The history of Bunraku began in the 16th Century, its popularity rising
spectacularly in the late 17th Century. Since1966, Tokyo's National Theater
has supplied Bunraku with a permanent home. In 1985, the National Bunraku
Theater was created in Osaka. In addition to several performances a year in
those two cities, traveling shows have brought live Bunraku to audiences
around the world.
Despite its popularity, the aging of the important backstage workers
(doll head carvers, costume makers, etc.) and the lack of people to take
their place poses an increasing problem for the future of this over
300-year-old art form.
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